May 2018 – Cancer Biomarkers and Molecular Testing

Wenora Y. Johnson, 3-time survivor, shares her cancer story and encourages patients to ask their care team about biomarker testing.

This first-ever direct-to-consumer genetic test can provide information on potential risks to individuals who may not have access to genetic screening, but the information may be misleading without feedback from experts.

A national advocacy program trains patients with metastatic breast cancer to educate the public about the special needs of patients with advanced breast cancer.

Dr Hayes, Immediate Past President of ASCO and Professor of Breast Cancer Research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, explains how biomarkers offer more precise treatment opportunities for patients with breast cancer.

The terms genetics and genomics are often used interchangeably in relation to cancer, but they refer to different things and are becoming very important in cancer treatment.

Read about important advancements in tumor biomarkers and their role in guiding treatment in some types of cancer.

CancerSEEK is a noninvasive blood test that may help detect cancer in early stages, when treatment has the highest chance for success.

Liquid biopsy is a noninvasive blood test that can help identify cancerous cells or biomarkers, such as gene mutations that may respond to targeted therapies.

Targeted therapies for lung cancer are newer therapies designed to target specific types of genetic mutations found in some patients, and improve the response to treatment.

In recent years, new treatments for acute myeloid leukemia have improved outcomes. In 2017, 2 new drugs were approved for patients with this type of blood cancer linked to a specific biomarker.

The understanding of the role of dMMR or MSI-H biomarkers in cancer has led to the first approval of a cancer drug based on a biomarker instead of a specific tumor type.